Amid Absurdity, Bronson Lays Down Law

April 18, 1986|By Lynn Van Matre.

As most people understand it, the maxim known as Murphy`s Law maintains that whatever possibly can go wrong will go wrong. Jack Murphy (Charles Bronson), the hard-bitten, two-fisted, hootch-swilling hero of the film

``Murphy`s Law,`` puts a slightly different spin on the contemporary proverb. Actually, he refers to it as Jack Murphy`s Law. Jack Murphy`s Law, as Bronson explains in easy-to-understand terms, means ``Don`t ---- with Jack Murphy.``

Nevertheless, somebody clearly is messing around with Murphy, a veteran Los Angeles homicide detective who has got troubles enough already. His car is out of commission; a young, female punk car thief (Kathleen Wilhoite) stole it and crashed it into a pizza joint. (When the outraged Murphy caught up with her, she kicked him in the crotch and escaped.) His wife (Angel Tompkins)

deserted him and now works as an ``exotic dancer,`` displaying her charms nightly on stage in a tawdry club before going home with the owner. His fellow cops make fun of his rumpled clothes and stained ties. He drinks a lot, even on the job.

But wait, there`s more. One night he gets a phone call from a vengeful woman (Carrie Snodgress) who tells him she`s going to kill him. ``But first, I`m going to put you through hell,`` she adds. Pretty soon, Murphy finds himself framed for the murder of his ex-wife and her boyfriend--and, in a bit of heavy-handed coincidence, winds up in a jail holding-pen handcuffed to Arabella, the punk who stole his car.

Murphy, of course, doesn`t stick around jail for long. Escaping with the foul-mouthed Arabella reluctantly in tow, he sets out to find out who is framing him and why. Along the way, he steals a helicopter, crashes it into a barn, flattens a bunch of drug dealers, works over a crime syndicate kingpin and establishes a tenuous, tiffing relationship with Arabella. Her cocky presence--are we supposed to find this infantile, unimaginative sewermouth cute?--becomes more tiresome each time she opens her mouth. Meanwhile, Murphy`s tormentor continues her killing spree, emerging coolly bloodspattered from each encounter.

Bronson is appealing as the beleaguered detective in this frequently predictable and violent but entertaining enough adventure--though Arabella`s romantic overtures to the detective at one point seem absurd in light of the fact that he is old enough to be her grandfather. Actually, there are absurdities aplenty in ``Murphy`s Law,`` but plenty of action as well.

``MURPHY`S LAW``

(STAR)(STAR) 1/2

Mini-review: Bronson`s style

Directed by J. Lee Thompson; written by Gail Morgan Hickman; produced by Pancho Kohner; photographed by Alex Phillips; edited by Peter Lee Thompson and Charles Simmons; music by Marc Donahue and Valentine McCallum; a Cannon Group release at the Water Tower, Dearborn and outlying theaters.